Created by local writer Don Van Kirk last September, Authors in Pubs is a First Thursday event that aims to give local writers a chance to share their work, and receive feedback. The shows run about one hour, but visitors are encouraged to arrive early and stay late to talk with authors and peruse their books.

Washingtonian Doug Beyerlein believes outdoor public stairways are a window into the soul of a community.

He has created a website, PublicStairs.com, devoted to the discovery and documentation of major outdoor public stairways anywhere in the world, which features stair maps for cities throughout the world.

Each staircase description includes the upper and lower locations, the number of steps, elevation gain, the staircase materials (e.g. concrete, wood, packed earth, etc.), and where to find said staircase in Foster’s book.

The fest is one of my favorites of the year, and seems to fly somewhat under the radar. It’s not strictly for barleywine fans; there will be imperial IPAs, strong Belgian ales, and imperial stouts to sample alongside the barleywines. I’m also struggling to think of an event that features a wider variety of barrel-aged and vintage beers. There will be a few verticals available during each session, and beers will change out as the individual kegs run dry.

The Oregon Brewers Guild has the beer list and confirms that again the year $9 gets you a custom taster glass and two tokens, and additional tastes are $2.00.

Nearly 100 artists will provide a blaze of colors, shapes, textures, and visual stimuli in SE Portland neighborhoods for the annual SE Area ARTWalk on Saturday and Sunday, the first weekend of March. . . Artists show in their own creative space or are hosted by local residents and businesses allowing you to visit indoor locations on the free, self-guided tour. The SE Area ARTWalk is a community-building event that has strengthened the connection between businesses, artists, and neighbors.

Join PORTLAND SATURDAY MARKET, March 3 & 4, 2012 for the official opening of the 2012 season. PSM has celebrated arts & crafts in the Pacific Northwest for 39 years.
Show your support of artists and your local economy and join us for a two-day celebration.
• 2 pairs of tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s touring show OVO.
• 5 Daily give-a-ways of $25.00 gift cards
• 2 days of Main Stage entertainment serving up local music with the likes of Johnny Martin. http://www.johnnymartin.com/
• 2 days of Kid’s Activities, featuring Janet Julian teaching children and their families how to create musical instruments out of recycled materials.
• Kid’s Parade at noon through the Market both Saturday and Sunday.
• Flamebuoyant’s circus entertainers will lead the kid’s parade each day with their stilt walkers, jugglers and musicians.
• 21 Food Carts featuring original recipes of local favorites like Horn of Africa’s Vegetarian Sambusa’s, Old Town Burgers Chili Dogs or Katmandu Cafes, Chicken Vindaloo.
• 250+ talented artisans selling their original handcrafted wares.

As per usual the market also features dozens of food carts, live music, and hundreds of vendors every weekend through December 24th! Saturday hours are 10am to 5pm, Sundays 11am to 4:30pm.